Reclining-chair.



G. W. SLYTER. v l RECLINING CHAIR.

APPLICATION man FEB. 9. 191s.

. Patented'gruly 17, 1917. i 2 SHEETS-SHEET l..

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j lll RECLININGr-CHAIR.

. Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 19117.

Appneauon mea February 9,1916. serial No. 77,327.

To all lwhom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. SLYTER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Tacoma, county of Pierce, State of Wlashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reclining- Chairs, of which the following is a specification. l Y

My invention relates to chairs, and particularly to chairs having a hinged or reclining back, and consists of improvements in the means employed for operating and controlling the hinged back, and for operating other parts of the chair.

One object of my invention is to provide means for operating and controlling the hinged back of such a chair, which means has been hidden from sight, is simple in character and effective to secure the desired result.

Further object of my invention is to provide a simple form of hinged construction whereby the chair back may be applied to the frame` or removed therefrom in assembling or disassembling the chair. Further objects of my invention will appear from a study of the specification and'drawings, and will be `particularly defined in the claims which terminate this specification. v

Figure 1 is a section of the chair, taken on a vertical plane extending from front to i rear in which a portion of one arm isbroken Vaway 1n order to show the mechanism by which the back ofthe chair is controlled and locked.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on a plane substantially parallel with the back.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the corner broken away of the other armofthe chair from that shown in Fig. 1, showing the spring by which the back of the chair is sustained,

and its connection with the chair back.

Fig. l1 is a vertical section showing the locking lever.

'Fig 5 is a fragmentary section of the parts shown in Fig. 4, but upon a planeat right angles thereto. s v A s Fig. 6 is a top view of the locking mechanism shown in Figs. 4 and `5.

The frame structure 1 of the chair may be in the main of any suitable type of construction. The construction herein shown has arm boards 10 and beneath these, bars 11 which form a support for said boards.

This feature of construction is however, un-

necessary excepting that thereV should be a portion of the frame at this point in which may be formed the grooves or channels in which the mechanism for supportingv and controlling the back may be placed.

The baclr 2 may in general be of any suitable construction. It is pivoted at the point 21 upon the frame, and the portion thereof lying below the level of the arms l() should be of such width as to enter between the arms of the chair. This might however, be different if the hinges for the backV were placed rearwardly of the rear posts 12 of the frame, and of the rear ends of the arms 10. The arm section ofthe frame at one side is provided with a groove 15. This groove is preferably constructed in the bar 11 of the frame, or in its elevated member and is open at its top but is covered in the Vcompleted chair by the arm board 10. Within this groove l5 is mounted a notched bar 3, which is connected by means of another bar 30 with the back of the chair at 32. Y

The notched bar 3 is preferably mounted in a trough-like member 31 composed of thin sheet iron, bent so as to form a guide for notched bar 3, and to provide side flanges `33 by which it may be securely fixed in place. The trough 31 has a notch 34C which extends through both sides thereof from the bottom edge, a distance of about half the f 35 engages with the notched bar 3. The

end 38 is -preferably made in two parts, one at each side of the notch 34:. A spring 39 which is mounted upon the same parts engages the lever 35 to hold it in locking position. These parts are mounted upon the part of the chair frame immediately below the arm 10, the end of the lever 35 projecting outwardly close under the arm 10. To unlock the back it is only necessary to pull up on the lever 35.

The other arm member 11 is provided with a like slot 15, which may however, be

slightly differentin its extent. IVithin this slot is mounted a spring by which the back is sustained, and by which it is brought into raised position after having been depressed. A spring 4 is a coil spring; its forward end is secured well toward the forward end of the arm, and preferably upon a bolt whichis secured to the arm 10. This springl is connected with a link14which extends through a slot 16 in the rear post of the chair and projects slightly `into said slot.

.At this point Vit is provided with ah0le-17 by lwhich it may be attached to the vchair back. r"Themanner in which I prefer to attach thechair back to the spring and to the loclring mechanism is as follows:

'A bar V42 passes horizontally through the bars 20, which form the main vertical inembei's V'of the'ch'air back. The ends of this bar extend outwardly into' alinement with the links 30 and 14,l extending respectively from s Vthe locking bar and the spring. VPreferably Cil , a vthreaded Vbolt 43.

from shortening beyond the position where.

it is under this desired initial tension, or

otherwise the end of the link 14 would -be drawn entirely within the -slot 16, and it would be very dificult to properly connect the link 14with the chair back. To secure this result I place a distention bar 41 within the spring, and have this bar of such length that it will keep the spring extended yto the point which represents the desired initial tension. The ends of this bar might engage directly with the coils or the end eyes of the spring, or the forward end there-y of may engage with the securing bolt 40. By this expedient the spring is held dis- 'tended a sufficient amount to insure the projection of the link 14 enough to enable it to be secured tothe back.

WhatI claim as my invention is: 1. In a chair, in combination, a frame, a

`back hinged thereto, the frame having a spring receiving slot in its arm section, and

`a'spring in said slot and connected with the back to support it, and means for maintaining aninitial tension upon the spring independent of the back..

2. In a chair, in combination, a frame, a back hinged thereto, the frame having a j spring receiving slot in its arm section, and

a spring in said slot and connected with the beck to support it, and a bar within the coils of said spring maintaining it under an initial tension. A c

3. The combination in a chair of a frame containing a side bar having a spring receiving groove in its upper edge opening rearwardly, an arm piece covering said groove, a coiled spring in said groove anchored at its forward end, means for connecting the rear end of said spring with the chair back, and means for maintaining the. spring with an initial distention iiidepeiident of its connections withthe chair.

4. y'Ihe combination in a chai'r of a frame containing a side bar having a spring receiving o'roove in its upper edge opening rearwardly, a xed arm piece covering said groove, a coiled spring in said groove anchored at its forward end,'ineans for connecting the rear end of said spring with the chair back, and a rod within said spring and engaging the spring at its ends, said rod being of a length to maintain the spring under an initial tension.

` 5. The combination with a chair having a frame and a hinged back, said frame containing a spring receiving recess opening rearwardly, a coiled spring within said recess having its forward end secured near the inner end of the recess, the ends of said spring being closed, a distending 'rod within the spring of a length to maintain the Vspring under an initial tension, and means for connecting the rear end of the spring to the hinged back.

G. The combination in a chair of a frame, a hinged back, the frame having a side niember provided with a spring receiving recess extending from front to rear and opening rearwardly, a helical Vspring fitting said recess, means for securing the forward end of the spring, means for securing the rear end of the spring to the chair back, and a distending rod within said spring and maintaining an initial stretch in the spring which insures the projection from its 'containing recess of the means whereby it is secured to the chair back.

7 The combination with a chair frame and a hinged back, of a member secured to the frame and having a vspring-receiving recess opening rearwardly, a coiled spring having its forward end secured in said recess, an attaching member secured to the rear end of the vspring and extending rearwardly, and means carried by the spring for maintaining an initial tension on the spring suflicient to insure the projection of said attaching member from the rear end of the recess when said attaching member is detached from the back.

8. In a chair, in combination, a frame, a back hinged thereto, aguideinemberofsheet metal bent to form a U-shaped channel, a side member of said frame having a vchannel adapted to receive the channel portion of said guide member, said channel having a transverse notch intersectin the bottom of the said channel, a reinforcing frame of U- shape embracing the guide channel at said notch, and 'having a similar transverse notch registering With said notch in the guide channel, a catch lever pivoted upon said reinforcing frame and adapted to enter said notches, and a notched bar mounted to reciprocate in the guide channel and being 10 connected With the back.

Signed at Tacoma, Washington, 25th this day of January 1916.

GEORGE W. SLYTER.

@opten of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. U3 

